Welcome to Gaia! ::

In a wingbeat, they were in the air and on their way back to the island. Haldia's golden eyes scanned the lush green below them, wondering where she should take them. She was certain they would all like to see the volcano - Amalirahc especially - but she had feeling that that might be where Leyenda and Kelirahc had disappeared to for the day, and she knew that they wanted to be alone.

In the end, she brought them to the beach on the far side of the island, the one nearest the village. It would have been a three day walk, nearly, especially with the children, but the flight took all of a quarter hour. Once they were on the ground, she helped Amalirahc down and waited for the others to dismount as well.

"I thought you might like to see this area," she smiled as Earendil helped Miyuki to the ground. "I know you mapped it on your last visit, but you never did just spend time here."

Amalirahc looked around at the sand and at the jungle just beyond, then looked up at Haldia just as she unsummoned Rhiel.

"Is there something special about this place?" he asked curiously. "It looks just like the beach where Grandmother and Grandfather and the others are."

Haldia smiled. "There is indeed something different about this beach," she assured him. She glanced up at Lin and Earendil. "Something you did not have a chance to see the last time you were here. Come, this way."

She took Amalirahc's hand and started to lead them to the northern end of the beach.

Earendil looked back at Lin. "As I recall, there were some holes that looked like they could be animal dens," he remarked. "Though ... come to think of it, there aren't many animals that size on the island, at least, not that would have dens ..."

He trailed off thoughtfully.

Amalirahc looked up at Haldia. "What are we going to see?" he asked her curiously.

Haldia winked at him. "My secret place."

"I'm sure we're about to find out," Earendil quipped as he spotted the small holes ahead.

There were two of them, side by side, holes large enough for them to crawl into. There was a large boulder between them, and above them, plants grew in the rock.

Without a word, Haldia stepped forward and pulled the plants back to reveal that the holes were in face one hole, with a boulder in the middle of it, and that it was quite large - large enough even for the extraordinarily tall Night Elves to walk in without stooping.

"Most people do not look twice," Haldia grinned, holding the plants aside so that the others could step in, "but Kelirahc was a very curious boy. He found this when we were young."

"Dark," Amalirahc commented as he followed the others inside.

Earendil turned to Haldia. "Is there some way of lighting it up in here?" he asked her. "Because otherwise, I can create magical light."

"You might want to do that," Haldia nodded, letting the foliage cover the entrance once more now that they were all inside. "I can see quite fine in here, but I can imagine you would have more difficulty ..."

Earentil nodded back, then put his hands together. There was a soft, pale glow, and it spread from his hands, up his arms, around his chest, and further, until it surrounded him entirely.

A walking firefly, but prettier, as a Surprise-stage Lin had called him oh so many years ago.

"Neat," Amalirahc grinned.

Earendil chuckled and watched as the glow trickled onto her fingers -- though it stopped there.

"This is my magic, or part of it at least," he explained. "I can glow, or I can make things that glow."

Just as he had made an entire collection of flowers by now for Lin. It still made him feel special, knowing that she had kept all of them, even the ones that had ceased to glow by now.

"Can I have something that glows?" Amalirahc asked eagerly. "It's dark in here, and even you don't make it light enough to see."

Earendil tilted his head thoughtfully, then nodded. Why not, after all? "What shape would you like?"

The boy thought about it. "I don't know," he admitted.

"A flower, eh?" Earendil grinned, his eyes sparkling in the darkness. "All right, a flower for Miyuki."

He held his hands near each other and began to form the requested flower. Not a rose: he had made roses for Lin each time, and he would keep those special for her. No, he would give Miyuki a different flower, one specially for her.

Once it was finished, he held it out to her - a tulip, soft as a real one, glowing a clear, bright blue. "There you are," he told her warmly.